So there’s this thread about judging and coconut porter ( http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=16116.0 ) and by the time I got to the end of it I was craving exactly that (the beer, not the judging…). But there is only one recipe on the AHA wiki Site Not Found . It obviously did ok in a competition but I am that sort of person who likes to look at a few recipes, and I note it uses extract, versus toasted coconut. There’s nothing wrong with that, just wanted to look at a few recipes.
I got home and Zymurgy was waiting for me, and there was a recipe for Coconut Porter! HOW DID YOU DO THAT???
There’s another one in the March/April 2013 Zymurgy. It uses toasted coconut in primary.
Thanks, I’ve been away from brewing for a couple of months (starting a PhD program while working FT, so brewing is now something I do between semesters). I just saw there’s a Zymurgy app. I do wonder, would it be good for the AHA to put the recipes on the wiki?
I wouldn’t use coconut in the primary. No way for you to control the flavor impact. I generally add toasted coconut to the secondary in my 5-0 Hawaiian Porter. It also has cacao nibs and Hawaiian coffee in it. Not sure if that is a deal breaker for you? I would be happy to share the recipe.
Not a deal breaker – I haven’t used a secondary in several years but I certainly could. I like the additions (I do stouts with cocoa-coffee). Would love the recipe.
Here’s the recipe I used. It had an OK coconut character, but I think it needs more, so I will probably double the coconut next time I brew it. I also sent it off to a couple of competitions, and they also said there was not enough coconut in it. I used 2 whole coconuts. I cleaned them, threw them through my Ninja blender, and toasted them. Not nearly as strong a coconut character as I though. I strongly suggest finding the coconut processed, as it was a pain to deal with the whole coconuts. I added the coconut to the primary after a week. I wanted the yeast to have a chance to get at any sugars in the coconut. I may also change the coconut addition to a secondary addition in the future, and just let whatever yeast is remaining do whatever work it can.
Bob
Boil Boil Volume: 8 gal.
Boil Length: 90 min.
Target Volume: 6.3 gal.
Fermentables
Pale Malt, Maris Otter 8 lbs. 12 oz.
Chocolate Malt 1 lbs.
Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L 8 oz.
Honey Malt 6 oz.
Hops
Magnum 0.5 oz. 13.5 Boil 90 min. Pellet 27
Willamette 1 oz. 6.4 Boil 10 min. Pellet 11
Wyeast Irish Ale
Toasted Coconut (unsweetened) 16 oz
Seems like a couple bags of shredded coconut, perhaps toasted, would be the way to go. Lazy version. I don’t even like peeling eggs
I’m with you. (And yet, we brew our own beer.) Flaked coconut – really big flakes, not tiny shreds – was $3.15 a pound at Rainbow Grocery, where I also picked up cocoa nibs. It smells delicious. I suspect the flavor will come out in the toasting more than anything else and that it will still be subtle.
I did this one with GREAT results. Unsweetened, toasted coconut came thru. Don’t fear the coconut in the primary.
Matter of semantics. I should have been more specific. I place all the ingredients in the keg, that way I can taste the flavor development. Generally I save some of the initial beer to blend back in because I usually lose a half gallon or so of beer from all the ingredients.
5-0 Hawaiian Porter
6 gallons post boil
60 min boil
1.064 OG
Mash 154F
70% 2-Row
12% Munich
8% C-60L
6% Chocolate Malt
4% Carafa III
38 IBUs 60 min
14g Williamette/5 IBUs @ 30min
Ale yeast ( I prefer WLP007 but have brewed with chico before)
- I use the coffee and cacao nibs to develop some of the natural porter character so that it is not over the top roasty. Never done a normal robust porter with this recipe, but would work. Maybe dial back the cacao nibs and coffee if so?
In keg/secondary
6 oz Cacao nibs
24 oz Coconut flakes ( can be divided or added all at once, I have done both)
1.5-2 oz coffee of choice, dry beaned. I use Kona
1 vanilla bean (rounds out the flavors)
Also, 16 fluid oz. of cold steeped coffee.
I systematically pull the additions when they are the flavor profile I prefer. Coffee and vanilla generally 4 days. Cacao nibs are usually 4-7 days. I find the coconut is the most variable ingredient. Did this recipe 3 weeks ago. Added all 24oz of coconut due to time limitations. Pulled the coconut after 4.5 days. The initial recipe was 16oz x 2 wks. Then another 8oz. for a week.
Cacao nibs and coconut were toasted in the oven. House smells fantastic when this happens! Good luck! Let us know how it turns out!
This recipe in the 3 comps I have entered has finished no worse than 3rd place BOS. Winning twice. Goes over well at festivals also.
Thanks a bunch. I’m inclined to go with your recipe because it’s a simpler grain bill, similar to the one in Brewing Classic Styles, though I like your WLP007 choice. I have a brew day coming up this week. I’ll report back!
Just did a coffee coconut stout.
Started with an oatmeal stout. “Dry-nutted” with 1 lb of organic, unsweetened coconut flakes that I toasted in the oven until golden and fragrant (AWESOME smell!). Used a muslin bag in the keg so I could pull it when I got enough flavor extraction.
I like doing it in the keg because I have a lot more control over extraction rates. I can taste daily and pull when its ready. When left too long, you can extract some plastic-like flavors.
Next time I will probably use 2 lbs of coconut in 1-lb increments. I will also cut back on the oats; using too much lends a plasticy/grainy flavor much like the over-extracted coconut flavor.
Here I was all set to make a porter… but the idea of a coconut stout is delicious. Of course, I could do both.
I don’t keg (though I do tap-a-draft some batches) but timing the addition five days before bottling sounds about right.
I’m no expert, but I just brewed a porter extract kit and added some fresh toasted coconut shavings (about a handful) and a vanilla bean in a muslin bag to the secondary for about 4 weeks. I bottled last weekend and couldn’t stop sampling the brew it was so good. Can’t wait for the carbed bottles to be ready…
Belated update… I used 2 pounds of lightly toasted organic coconut in a 3-gallon batch of porter. The bad news: the coconut soaked up a lot of porter. The good news: wonderful coconut flavor and a silky mouthfeel similar to oatmeal. I wanted to see how the coconut stood up to the porter, but next time I’ll add chocolate.
Right on! I’ll bet it’s awesome!
That coconut needs to find it’s way into a cake or pie.
I cannot lie: sampling that coconut was awesome. I wish I had thought of it because yes, using a cup or two of the “squeezings” in a cake would have been wonderful.
You can put those ale-sogged coconut flakes in a daily smoothie. Buzzing those up in a vitamix or ninja will add a luscious body to the veggie/fruit blend, plus any settled yeast will provide a B vitamin boost.
Smoothie is a quick and lovely destination for nearly all yeast-munched fruit. Fed the goji berries from my blonde fermentation into a few days worth of drinks. Trashing them would have been a travesty.